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Maman Greenpoint Brunch

It was the last hot day of summer and I was enjoying another weekend free of commitments. When I heard Maman was opening an outpost in Greenpoint and Bitches Who Brunch was invited to the brunch launch party, I was thrilled. I’ve frequented the NYC Maman locations for their insanely good chocolate chip cookies, and I had high expectations for brunch service.

By the time we got to Greenpoint, a decent walk from the Bedford L, I was h-o-t and in need of iced coffee. We were ushered upstairs to the brunch service room, though I eyed with longing the swing sweats in the cafe space on the bottom floor. The upstairs was buzzing with blogger activity and pastries, and I quickly whipped out my camera to capture the delightful details before we messed it all up.

There was a slight snafu with the A/C and I literally had to towel off in the bathroom because it was so warm upstairs where brunch was being served, but I’m sure that’s a detail that’s already been addressed for their regular service.

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The Maman signature wallpaper decorated the small space, with thoughtful decor details like a mock fireplace, a communal, antique table, and individual dandelions marking place settings. It was a photographer’s dream, and I explored every nook.

I even photographed the bathroom (oops!) They really didn’t ignore a single corner of this beautiful restaurant.

The team has done a great job transporting you to the countryside of France in these familiar, homey details. And oh my, those florals!!

Our brunch event featured a delightfully succinct limited menu, but all of these items are available on the larger brunch menu for weekend dining! Before diving into the main event, Paul sampled the majority of the pastries, covering enough for the two of us.

I sadly couldn’t partake, but I looked on enviously as he polished off several tartines, muffins, and croissants. He said they were all insanely good.

For my main, I ordered the waffle-iron hash browns with smoked salmon, avocado, cucumber, dill, and a “perfect” egg. The dill sauce was so refreshing and worked perfectly with the large portion of smoked salmon.

The egg really was cooked to perfection, and added a nice consistency to the potato base hidden underneath.

Paul ordered the croque ‘maman’ with parisian ham, comté cheese and béchamel sauce and obviously, a fried egg. If there is ever a time I miss gluten, it’s when a massive plate of bubbling, cheese-battered bread stuffed with salty ham is put in front of my husband.

Paul said this beat the croque madames we had in Paris earlier this year, which is not that big of a surprise given the authenticity of the restaurant. Everything we sampled felt like a higher end version of a homemade dish served in a cozy French home kitchen, something French Michelin star chef Arnal has committed to in all of his Maman outposts.

For the “dessert” course, Paul ordered the panatea matcha green tea waffles with poached pears, ricotta, and berries. This was a perfect size, and the fresh ricotta was a delicious addition to the waffles. I’m not embarrassed to admit that I ate it by the spoonful.

I opted for the lighter caramelized grapefruit with honey and pistachio. I haven’t had a grapefruit honey pairing before, and I loved the tart with sweet. It was a perfect way to end the meal.

The Bitches say: A. Delightful decor, decadent pastries, and family-inspired French classics will greet you warmly at Maman’s Greenpoint outpost. It’s so lovely in there, you may decide to stick around in the cafe swing chairs all day.